March 24, 2026 (San Diego County) -- Working to dismantle barriers to employment and housing for formerly incarcerated residents, San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe of District 4 has announced a new initiative offering a "fresh start" through a mobile expungement service.
Montgomery Steppe said she wants to help individuals navigate the complex process of cleaning up adult criminal records.
For many, a past conviction remains a permanent roadblock to stability, even years after completing their sentences.
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Feb. 20, 2026 (San Diego County) — There's one week left to tell San Diego County officials what you want to see, including ways they can better pull back the proverbial curtain on local government.
With a comprehensive survey launched earlier this year, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors -- Paloma Aguirre (District 1), Joel Anderson (D2), Terra Lawson-Remer (D3), Monica Montgomery Steppe (D4) and Jim Desmond (D5) -- are looking at a public outreach initiative aimed at reimagining how the public interacts with the group tasked with governing the county's $8 billion-plus budget.
The survey can be accessed here, with a Feb. 27 deadline for input.
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Feb. 11, 2026 (San Diego County) — The silence will at last be broken at some of East County’s smallest vineyards.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted unanimously to amend the County Zoning Ordinance, allowing amplified live music at boutique wineries.
The decision marks a major shift for the region’s roughly 100 small-scale operations, which have been restricted from using speakers or mechanical music since the "by-right" winery tier was created in 2010.
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Bucking bronco horse at Calgary Stampede; Creative Commons image by SA 3.0 via Wikipedia
By Karen Pearlman
Feb. 11, 2026 (San Diego) — In a decision that could eventually bring change in the professional rodeo circuit, a judge with the the San Diego Superior Court at the end of January issued a landmark ruling against the San Diego Padres and the C5 Rodeo Company, the producer of the San Diego Rodeo event.
Following a week-long trial held just before the 2026 San Diego Rodeo, Judge Joel R. Wohlfeil determined in a 21-page ruling that specific practices during the 2024 and 2025 San Diego Rodeos constituted “needless suffering” and “unnecessary cruelty,” and determined that the San Diego Rodeo was to have proper medical technology on site and that pregnant mares were not allowed to be part of competition.
The San Diego Rodeo is an independent event not sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Produced by C5 Rodeo Co. in partnership with the Padres, the rodeo just concluded its third annual run at Petco Park from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18, once again drawing sold-out crowds.
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Feb. 4, 2026 (San Diego County) – For the winemakers of East County, the sound of progress has long been a quiet one.
Under current San Diego County laws, the region’s smallest “boutique” wineries -- the family-run operations that make up an important part of the local agriculture scene -- have been silenced when it comes to amplified music.
That silence may soon be broken.
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January 16, 2026 (San Diego) – San Diego County is facing increased budget challenges when it comes to providing fire preparedness in unincorporated areas, prompting the Board of Supervisors to take actions to improve how fire infrastructure is delivered and maintained.
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Jan. 14, 2026 (San Diego County) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved the appointment of Damon M. Brown as County Counsel.
Brown was chosen after the county launched a national recruitment, bringing broad and diverse experience at the national, state and local levels.
A trial attorney and policy executive with more than two decades of experience leading high-stakes litigation, regulatory enforcement and legal strategies across government and private practice, Brown will lead the Office of County Counsel, the department that manages the County’s civil law needs.
The office provides advisory and litigation support to the Supervisors, County departments and County officers, boards and commissions. It also represents the County in juvenile dependency matters and administers public liability claims.
The previous County Counsel for San Diego County was Claudia Silva, who served from 2022 until an departure in July 2025. David J. Smith was appointed Acting County Counsel after Silva left the position.
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January 14, 2026 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday advanced a new law that would prohibit federal agents from accessing non-public areas at County facilities unless they have a warrant or court order.
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Jan. 9, 2026 (San Diego County) -- Detra Williams has been appointed as San Diego County's next Chief Deputy of Tax Collection, succeeding Chief Deputy David Baker, who has retired.
Williams was appointed to the position effective Jan. 6. County Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Cohen announced the appointment on Jan. 6.
Williams has worked for the County of San Diego for nearly 35 years. She spent more than 20 years in the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office and held leadership roles in the District Attorney’s Office and other County departments.
In October, the County Board of Supervisors had selected Williams and three other finalists, including Cohen and Baker, as candidates to fill the role of Treasurer-Tax Collector during a public hearing.
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Dec. 17, 2025 (San Diego County) — Behind the support of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson from District 2, the County of San Diego will illuminate its County Administration Center in blue and white tonight, Dec. 17.
The illumination in blue and white across from San Diego Bay, serves as a visible beacon of unity. It is being lit in remembrance of victims and to show solidarity with survivors of the recent anti-Semitic attack targeting the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia.
Fifteen innocent individuals were murdered by two gun-wielding terrorists. The gunfire resulted in dozens of injured victims who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach. See related story here.
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Nov. 14, 2025 (San Diego County) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is continuing a critical conversation about the future of housing and development in the unincorporated areas of the county, including Spring Valley, Lakeside and Casa de Oro.
The Board of Supervisors will discuss land use legislations at its meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. The meeting is in person at the County Administration Center and can be accessed as well online.
County staff will be presenting information to set the stage for major decisions coming in the 2026-27 fiscal year that will affect where and how new homes and buildings are built.
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Nov. 7, 2025 (San Diego County) -- San Diego CalFresh/SNAP beneficiaries are starting to see their full November benefits loaded on to their EBT cards.
CalFresh is the federal food assistance program also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also commonly referred to as Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) or Food Stamps.
The process began late Thursday after a federal court ruled in favor of restoring full benefits during the government shutdown, according to the State.
The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that it will comply with the court order to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, and the state is stepping up to assure no gaps in coverage for Californians.
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Nov. 5, 2025 (San Diego County) -- San Diego County has a new Treasurer-Tax Collector to fill the void of Dan McAllister, who retired earlier this year.
The County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appointed Larry Cohen to fill the position of Treasurer-Tax Collector for McAllister who retired Aug. 2.
Cohen will serve until the current San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector term ends Jan. 4, 2027. An election will determine a successor for the following four-year term.
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Photo, left: Supervisor Jim Desmond sought to restrict foreign investors from buying homes and driving up prices.
October 23, 2025 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors this week rejected a proposal by Supervisor Jim Desmond to support statewide bans or restrictions on foreign investment in entry-level and single-family housing, particularly when located near sensitive military installations and other critical infrastructure.
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October 2, 2025 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Wednesday unanimously approved a housing development in the North County community of Harmony Grove, despite objections by several residents who expressed concerns about the lack of a second evacuation route during wildfires.
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Sept. 15, 2025 (San Diego County) -- September is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month.
While mental health is a year-round concern and there are specific mental health awareness events that happen in other months (such as May being Mental Health Awareness Month), September is specifically dedicated to raising awareness about suicide prevention.
During this month, various organizations and individuals work to:
Promote awareness of suicide as a public health issue;
Share resources and information to help people who may be struggling;
Encourage open conversations about suicide and mental health;
Remember those who have been lost to suicide;
And highlight the importance of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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Sept. 10, 2025 (San Diego County) – The Cottonwood Sand Mine project in Rancho San Diego was rejected unanimously Wednesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
In a packed board room, the supervisors heard from more than 100 speakers in a span of over two hours, including more than a dozen by phone.
The vote apparently means the end of a years-running saga for East County residents since sand mining along the Sweetwater River was first proposed seven years ago.
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July 23, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) -- The final public hearing on the fate of the Cottonwood Golf Course and whether it will be turned into a sand mine is going to be held later this summer.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will hear from residents as well as the developers about the proposal to grant the Cottonwood Golf Club a major use permit to operate an industrial open-pit sand mine for a minimum of 10 years.
The county's planning commission earlier this month denied the MUP, but the supervisors will be listening to testimony about it in September.
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Two Democratic candidates vying for the District 1 seat want the county to delay its budget approval until after the seat is filled.
By Lisa Halverstadt and Jim Hinch, Voice of San Diego
April 4, 2025 (San Diego) - Two Democratic candidates for supervisor are urging the county to delay its annual budget vote until after a now-vacant District 1 seat is filled. That push appears unlikely to garner needed support from a sitting board majority but a 2-2 political split on the county board may mean the candidates get their wish by default.
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By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office
March 26, 2025 (San Diego) - Have you ever wanted to speak about an issue at a San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting?
Well, the County is introducing changes to make it easier to do than ever before.
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July 27, 2024 (San Diego) -- San Diego County Probation is celebrating National Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week and California Probation Supervision Week, both of which take place July 21-27.
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The County of San Diego Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities’ program will provide at-risk San Diego County residents over 55-years-old with a $500 monthly rental subsidy for 18 months. The money will go directly to participants’ landlords.
Applications can be submitted starting today, May 22. The participants will be selected at random. Those selected will join 222 households previously chosen for the original pilot program in early 2023, which was subsequently approved for expansion by the County Board of Supervisors.
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By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office
January 11, 2024 (San Diego) -- The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to select Supervisor Nora Vargas as the chairwoman for 2024.
Chairwoman Vargas served as board chairwoman last year. The chair acts as the voice of the county.
During Tuesday’s organizational meeting, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer was reelected as vice chair and Supervisor Joel Anderson as chair pro tempore.
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January 11, 2024 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday a pilot program to create housemate matches between lower-income older adults and locals with a spare bedroom.
The two-year pilot program was created to address growing homelessness among older adults. The 2023 Point-in-Time Count revealed the number of older adults aged 55 and older experiencing homelessness increased by 29% from the previous year.
The program will match a minimum of 50 older adults – people 55 years or older – with appropriate households who sign up and offer to rent out a spare bedroom. Participants also will be offered services to help them stay housed.
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November 2, 2022 (San Diego) -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on October 25 to approve a plan proposed by Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Joel Anderson to use an expected $100 million in settlement money from lawsuits with drug makers to address the opioid crisis in the region.
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October 6, 2022 (San Diego) - Today in a historic meeting of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego City Council, by a vote of 12-0, voted to pass a resolution to align their efforts to remove barriers to housing production, work to build 10,000 units of housing on government-owned land, leverage available funds for housing and explore housing densification options.
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September 28, 2022 (San Diego) - The Board of Supervisors today approved additional water tanks and backcountry helicopter hydrants to give firefighting helicopters more water sources during wildland firefighting.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
Photo: this is a sketch of the twin-engine Bell 412 EPX helicopter which the County will be purchasing for the Sheriff's Department fleet.
April 27, 2022 (San Diego) - The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to strengthen aerial fire protection in the region by approving the purchase of a new twin-engine firefighting helicopter and adding two additional firefighting helicopters to a firefighting response agreement with San Diego Gas & Electric.
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April 27, 2022 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a board letter put forth by Supervisor Joel Anderson and Vice Chair Nora Vargas that will provide economic opportunities for small businesses in the unincorporated County. Their board action was inspired by a letter written to Supervisor Anderson from an Alpine constituent and was approved unanimously at the April 26, 2022 Board of Supervisors meeting.
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East County News Service
East County News Service 
Grapes at Sierra Roble Winery in Warner Springs
Bucking bronco horse at Calgary Stampede; Creative Commons image by SA 3.0 via Wikipedia
By Paul Levikow
East County News Service
By Paul Levikow
Photo courtesy San Diego County
East County News Service
By Paul Levikow
By Paul Levikow
Two Democratic candidates vying for the District 1 seat want the county to delay its budget approval until after the seat is filled. 
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East County News Service
Source: Chair Nathan Fletcher
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By Miriam Raftery
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Source: Senator Joel Anderson
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